US to support Israel if Iran retaliates: President Trump

WASHINGTON: United States (US) President Donald Trump clarified that the Washington had no involvement in the recent Israeli attacks on Iran.

In an interview with Fox News, Donald Trump stated that if Iran retaliates, the US. will support Israel in its defense.

The president urged that Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear bomb and expressed hope that diplomatic talks would soon resume.

“We’re hoping Iran will return to the negotiating table,” Donald Trump said during the interview.

Earlier, Iran launched over 100 retaliatory drones after Israel launched deadly strikes that targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders, according to the Israeli military.

The drone attack came after Israel said it targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders on Friday at the start of what it warned would be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.

Iranian media and witnesses reported explosions including at the country’s main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, while Israel declared a state of emergency in anticipation of retaliatory missile and drone strikes.

Iranian state television reported that Hossein Salami, the chief of the elite Revolutionary Guards corps, had been killed and the unit’s headquarters in Tehran had been hit. Several children had been killed in a strike on a residential area in the capital, it said.